Energy-Efficient Transportation Highlights

State, Local, & Utility Policy Updates

ALABAMA

EV Charging Stations

In June, Governor Kay Ivey approved a $4.1 million grant to build 18 electric vehicle charging stations through seven counties along the I-20 corridor between Tuscaloosa and the Alabama-Georgia border. The funds were made available from a settlement between the Environmental Protection Agency and Volkswagen. Alabama currently ranks 48th in the country with 2.3 electric charging stations per 10,000 vehicles.

FLORIDA

Duke Energy Florida Rate Plan

In May, the Florida Public Service Commission approved an agreement on customer rates between Duke Energy Florida and other parties through 2024. With this approval, Duke Energy Florida will offer a new electric vehicle charging program building on their existing pilot program.

EV Readiness Ordinance

City of Orlando staff is proposing an electric vehicle readiness ordinance that will require portions of new construction parking spaces to meet current EV charging needs and prepare for future EV charging demand. The Municipal Planning Board is considering this ordinance on June 28, and it is expected to be considered by the city council in August.

LOUISIANA

EV Tax Credit

On June 22, SB 8 was signed by Governor John Bel Edwards, accelerating the sunset date for the alternative fuel and electric vehicle tax credits to July 1, 2021. The alternative fuel vehicle conversion tax credit will remain in effect until January 1, 2022.

MISSISSIPPI

Electric Transportation Program Proposal

In its Annual Energy Delivery Plan filed on April 15, Mississippi Power proposed two new program incentives. A Residential Electric Transportation Program and Commercial Electric Transportation Program will both educate and provide customer support and incentives.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Volvo EV Investment

In June, Volvo announced that they are investing $118 million into their plant in Ridgeville, SC to build Polestar 3 electric vehicles with its affiliate, Polestar Cars. This will be their third car built at this plant and brings Volvo Cars full investment in South Carolina to $1.2 billion.

TENNESSEE

Electric Autonomous Vehicle Testing

In April, Knox County in eastern Tennessee became a testing site for an autonomous electric vehicle known as Olli. Olli uses the IBM Watson supercomputer and has a variety of capabilities, including learning from individual’s preferences and patterns.

First All-Electric School Bus in the State

In June, Washington County debuted Tennessee’s first all-electric school bus. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation granted the school system nearly $220,000 to purchase the bus and its charging station. The bus is meant to lower fuel costs and carbon emissions, as well as promoting a cleaner environment for the community and students. The school system plans to add more electric buses in the future and hopes that other districts follow their lead.

Ultium Battery Plant

On April 16, General Motors and LG Energy Solution announced that they are building an Ultium battery plant worth $2.3 billion in Spring Hill, TN, outside of Nashville, with plans to come online in 2023. The batteries will support electric Cadillac and Honda vehicle models. The plant will employ about 1,300 people.

VIRGINIA

Clean Cars Bill Passed

On March 19, Governor Ralph Northam signed HB 1965, an advanced clean cars bill, into law. This law creates a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) program that will ensure more electric vehicles are made and sold in Virginia, and a low-emissions vehicle (LEV) program that will strengthen regulations on emissions of newly constructed vehicles.

Regional, National, & Federal Policy Updates

Battery Manufacturer Settlement

On April 12, two of South Korea’s largest electric vehicle battery makers, SK Innovation and LG Energy, reached a multi-billion-dollar settlement that ended a trade dispute between the two companies. Previously, the U.S. International Trade Commission issued a 10-year import ban on SK Innovation after LG filed a complaint against its rival company for stealing trade secrets. The import ban threatened a vital supply chain for Ford and Volkswagen electric cars, and thousands of manufacturing jobs in Georgia.

Electric School Bus Funds

On June 25, EPA administrator Michael Regan announced a COVID-19 relief package of $50 million focusing on environmental programs. $7 million of these funds will go towards electric school buses to reduce pollution from diesel emissions.

DOT Invests in Electric Transportation

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has released its proposed 2022 budget, which emphasizes electric vehicles and sustainable transportation. The budget includes $15 billion for building a national electric vehicle charging network in five years, $100 billion in consumer rebates for electric vehicles, and $25 billion for zero-emissions transit vehicles.

EV Battery Supply Chain

In May, Ford Motor Company entered a joint venture with battery producer SK Innovation to build two North American factories to make batteries for roughly 600,000 electric vehicles per year by mid-decade. This marks the beginning of Ford vertically integrating key components of their electric vehicle supply chain.

EV Infrastructure Equity

According to an American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) report, only a few states and utility companies are committed to ensuring communities of color and low- and moderate- income communities’ benefit from the transition to the report, strong policies are needed to ensure communities of color and low-income communities have access to electric vehicles, charging stations, and other direct benefits.

Tailpipe Emissions Rule Review

On June 24, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent its revised tailpipe emissions rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget for evaluation. While the details of the revised rule are widely unknown, many expect that the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will set aggressive clean car standards that would act as a catalyst for electric vehicle adoption.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

On June 24, President Biden announced his support for a bipartisan infrastructure framework that allocates $7.5 billion for a national EV charging network and another $7.5 billion for electric school buses, transit buses, and other public transportation.

American Jobs Plan

The White House released a fact sheet on the American Jobs Plan, a comprehensive investment strategy into the country’s infrastructure. The American Jobs Plan proposes investing $174 billion in electric vehicles through tax incentives, supply chain support, infrastructure deployment, medium- and heavy-duty vehicle deployments, and electrifying the federal fleet.

The INVEST in America Act

The INVEST in America Act is a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill proposed by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The bill proposes a $547 billion investment into transportation infrastructure priorities defined in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, including investment into electric vehicles. The bill dedicates $4 billion to electric vehicle charging infrastructure, supports fleet conversion, and incentivizes transit-oriented development.

Bus Service Provider Electric Vehicle Pilot Program

Student Transportation of America (STA), an independent provider of school transportation services is creating an electric vehicle pilot program with plans to deploy electric buses to select areas across the east and west coasts.